Next week, Caspia Management Ltd and Robinsons Brewery are applying to Salford City Council to build 21 flats and 28 houses on the site of the Brown Cow pub on Worsley Road, near Eccles.

Residents and councillors are objecting to the scheme, while the developer looks set to avoid hundreds of thousands of pounds in planning payments. They say that the pub isn't 'viable'...but neither is their housing scheme 'viable'...

Caspia Management Ltd and Robinsons Brewery are applying for planning permission next week to demolish the Brown Cow pub on Worsley Road, near Eccles, and to build 21 two bedroom flats, 10 three bedroom houses and 18 four bedroom houses.

Winton councillors are objecting on the grounds of congestion and car parking; while residents are also objecting about possible flooding issues, the size of the development and 'the loss of a community pub and a fine building...the existing public house could be re-used for community purposes...'

Robinsons state that the pub is not 'viable' – but then adds that its proposed development isn't 'viable' either, if it had to pay the full planning fees to Salford Council.

The planning contributions are to mitigate the impacts of the development and include payments for 'Public Open Space, Public Realm Improvements, Education Facilities and Affordable Housing'.

The report being submitted to the planning panel next week doesn't break these payments down, in a complete dereliction of transparency; but gives the overall figure of £185,000 that the applicant and the Council have "agreed".

According to Salford Council's own figures, the Open Space contribution alone should be £146,778 and the Education Payment£56,578, which immediately sets the sub-total at £203,356.

The Council provides no figures for Public Realm but according to the Council SPD Planning Obligations tables, the total figure for all these mitigations should be £277,000.

As well as this, the developers should also be providing six affordable houses, based on 20% of 28 houses in the development. In line with Salford Council policy, they don't have to provide any affordable housing for the flats.

Again, there is no specific figure for the cost of providing affordable housing 'off site' as this varies throughout the city, but a very conservative estimate would be £60,000 per house, adding another £360,000 to the total bill.

So, according to Salford Star estimates, the developers should be paying a conservative £637,000 (£360,000+£277,000) – but, instead, have agreed a total of £185,000 with the Council, together with a 'clawback mechanism', "should the viability of the development increase in the future"...which it rarely does, officially.

To add eco insult to financial injury, the development will also see the loss of Category A and Category B trees along the Council's new Port Salford Greenway, a walking and cycling route that connects Worsley Village with Peel Green...

"The removal of these trees would have a detrimental effect upon the general and visual amenity of this section of the Greenway" states the planning report, and even the Council's arborist has objected. Planning officers merely state that the tree destruction is "regrettable...a moderate dis-benefit"...

Slurp wroteat 7:05:52 AM on Sunday, October 15, 2017

Apparently there has been a Brown Cow pub in Winton since the 17th Century.Another bit of local heritage bites the dust. Still - the locals have actually got to care. It's very much a Salford affliction though this complete lack of interest in heritage . Salford is afflicted from top to bottom with a self destructive and self consuming ethos.

Mary ferrer wroteat 3:18:37 AM on Friday, October 13, 2017

First if TPO trees are being removed.For each tree removed they have to replace with two.But our planning department dont appear to put this into action.With regards the none payment of planning fees,I just can't make out why the council seem to have this attuned of "its ok mate,we don't need it" On Tuesday night at community committee the proposed development on Duncan Mattison playing fields came up and one of the councillors went on about 106 monies from the development would help towards the part of land the council own getting back into use. Which got me thinking. How would I find out how much 106 monies have been paid from development with the Claremont Weaste area in the last 5 years.And where and on what it was spent.That's my next mission